Текст книги "Wed To The Alien Prince"

Автор книги: January Bell

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 13 страниц)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

OceanofPDF.com

KANUZ

The separatists did not need me to unite them. They did not even need the symbol of the goddess’ blessing that Gen wears on her skin, the one we risked life and limb to get, to see reason.

All they needed was to have hope for their future.

As we all do.

I mull it over as Edrobaz nears in the distance. The atmospheric bubble shimmers slightly in the mountain air, crisp and clean, but too cold for my Gen, who shivers constantly. We made it here much faster than I would have imagined. The temple courtyard tunnel dumped us further north in the jungle than I’d realized.

“I am grateful you found us,” I tell the southern Suevans.

“We are glad to have had the opportunity to come to know you better.”

“Especially since we are now the princess’ dudes.”

Gen shoots me a nervous look, and I bite back a laugh at the consternated expression on her face. She was so eager to include these two and make them feel welcome, that she did not quite think through the ramifications of giving them the title of dude.

I hate to think what they will do when they find out she says it to everyone.

Gen’s already won them over, though. How could she not? She’s funny and brave, and has not complained once, despite her teeth clattering together.

The zitsu leaf is an ill-choice for clothing, and the southerners gave her a blanket from their packs, but it’s still not enough for her fragile human skin.

Gen’s eyes go wide as she takes in the city sprawled before us. Early evening mist clings to the primeval trees bursting from the mountaintop city, the myza that the dwellers here make their homes in. A wall surrounds the city proper, and as we approach, the dirt trail gives way to polished stone.

“This is really… I’ve never seen trees that big before.”

“I think you will like my city, too.”

“The southern cities are likewise beautiful, Princess,” a Southerner butts in, gazing at Gen with blatant adoration that sets my teeth on edge. “You should visit them soon. I know the few of our people that remain there would like to see you for themselves. To see what it is we’re fighting for.”

Gen’s throat bobs, and then she inclines her head nobly. “That sounds like a great idea.”

The southerners beam.

Behind us, the Crigomar let up a resounding roar, angry at the barrier that keeps them away from the city proper.

“Knock it off, Steve!” Gen bellows, so loud that the southerners wince. The roaring dies, replaced by a plaintive whine.

“I never thought I’d be telling a dinosaur to shut up.”

The great gate of Edrobaz begins to grind open, and we all swing our attention to it.

“Oh my god!” a female voice shrieks. “Gen is alive! And she’s radioactive!” A dark-haired curvaceous beauty bounces out of the gate, sprinting for where I hold Gen in my arms, after her poor feet couldn’t handle the rough terrain any longer.

“Radioactive? Officer Durand, have you been handling unsanctioned materials?” This voice is strong and laced with humor, and another human woman saunters from the doorway, draped in traditional Suevan fabric. The woman’s face contorts as she takes Gen in, and then she, too, is running towards us. I clutch her tighter to my chest, feeling possessive and violent.

“Ni-Kee!” one of the southerners says, his delight in seeing the human evident.

“Gen, what the fuck?” the brunette says. “Are you okay? Why do you look like Tinkerbell on an acid trip?”

“Hey, Bex.” Gen’s voice is faint, and her body tenses. She inhales deeply, and I know she’s trying to contain her soft heart, trying to stay strong as she always does. “It’s damn good to see you.”

“Likewise.” Bex glances up at me, her lips pursing. “I guess you know by now the dude who’s carrying you is your husband, yeah?”

“Dude?” One of the aliens asks.

“He is a dude, too?” the other adds.

“Why don’t you two go ahead inside and ah…” Gen trails off, clearly flummoxed.

“Obtain some rest and food for your service. On the prince,” I finish for her. They nod once, then all but race inside Edrobaz. She squeezes my arm in gratitude, and I keep walking, Ni-Kee and Bex keeping pace beside us.

“Are you hurt?” Ni-Kee asks her, shooting me a careful look. Like she does not trust that I haven’t been the one to hurt her. Anger rises inside me, uncoiling like a venomous snake. “Did you hurt him?”

Gen laughs. “I’m hungry, I’m cold, and I’m tired, but I’m not hurt. And I didn’t hurt him. Much.” She raises one eyebrow, and Bex sighs, glancing between us.

The Crigomar starts up another plaintive roar.

“SO HELP ME, STEVE,” Gen thunders, and the roar cuts off quickly.

Bex’s eyebrows shoot up. “Uh. Did you just yell at a dinosaur?”

“She is goddess-blessed,” I explain. Bex’s brow furrows, and I realize with a sudden shock that she cannot understand me. I am going to have a long talk with my scientists at Perzivor.

“Riiiiight,” Ni-Kee says. “Prince Kanuz, it’s a pleasure to meet you, by the way. We’ve all been worried sick about you both. It sounds like you’ve got one hell of a story to tell. I’m Captain Jacks. This is Bex.” She nods at the brunette. “We’d like to help Gen adjust to life here, if you don’t mind leaving her with us.”

“She goes nowhere without me,” I hiss, snapping my jaws at her.

A familiar figure stands at the gate, a vicious energy sword strapped to his back.

“Prince,” Draz intones, dipping his chin in greeting, one fist raised toward me.

“First Warlord.”

“I would appreciate it if you stopped threatening my mate.”

“I would appreciate it if she stopped trying to take my mate from me.” No one will take her from me. My golden flower is mine alone.

“No one is taking me from you, Kanuz, calm your tits.”

Bewildered, I stare down at my precious mate. “I do not have tits. Even if I did, I do not know how I would calm them.”

Ni-Kee snorts, and Gen gives her a beleaguered look. “Here’s the thing, Kanuz, we’ve been in the jungle for—” She wrinkles her nose.

“Sixteen and a half days,” Bex supplies.

“Thank you, Officer Abbas. I can tell you right now that my crew wants to debrief, make sure I’m healthy, and I want to do the same with them.”

“But I want—”

“I appreciate that you may not have planned on this, but this is what is going to happen.” Her voice is icey calm, and I blink at her, loving it. My cock gets hard. I haven’t heard this tone from her before.

I grin at her, my cock aching. Her eyes narrow, a smile playing about her lips, and I know she can feel where my hardness nudges against her.

She raises her shimmering hand to my cheek, pulling me down to kiss my cheek.

“Let me touch base with my crew, Kanuz,” she whispers. “You go get intel on the Roth, check in with your warlords, and then we can reconvene and make a plan for how to protect Earth, if they haven’t already. And then…” She trails off, her small, smooth tongue licking across my cheekbone.

“And then I will ravage you, again and again.”

“I can’t speak Suevan, but I think I know what he just said.” Bex groans, pinching the bridge of her nose. “They’re just as insufferable as you and Draz.”

Ni-Kee rolls her eyes, but there’s a hint of a smile on her face. “Can you walk, Gen, or do you need him to carry you? We’ll get you cleaned up and clean clothes and some food, and we’ll debrief while we take care of you.”

Gen taps on my shoulder, and I let her down. “I can walk. I just left my boots behind.” She tugs the blanket around her shoulders.

“You really do look radioactive,” Ni-Kee says speculatively.

“I’ll tell Carmen and Tati to run some tests,” Bex says. “Do you feel sick?”

“I’m not radioactive.”

“She is healthy,” I snarl. “She was blessed by the goddess.”

“Easy,” Draz murmurs, his eyebrows raised.

Gen slips from my grasp, giving my hand a final squeeze, and then she disappears through the gate, flanked by her crew members.

My hands fist at my sides, clenched so tight my talons bite into my hide. I stare after her long after her shimmer has disappeared into the fading light, Draz watching me with careful eyes.

“She is safe,” he finally says, his tone ripe with understanding. “My mate feels a solemn duty to her crew. Is it true you received the blessing of the goddess?”

“Gen did.” My throat closes up, and I fight the need to chase after her. I do not want her out of my sight. I want her in my arms. I want her back, and I want it now.

“How?”

I sigh, and Draz closes the gate on the jungle behind us as we begin to walk through his city. “Take me to the Roth, and I will tell you. I long to make jewelry from his bones, but I wish to know what his race has in store for Earth.”

Draz is silent for a long moment, then nods once. “You have changed. She has changed you.”

“She is everything,” I tell him vehemently.

And I will keep the vow I made to myself to protect her, and her people.

I will get the information we need from the Roth, one way or another.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

OceanofPDF.com

GEN

The tree houses are just as fucking cool on the inside as they seemed on the outside. “This is your house?” I ask Niki, awed by the sight. Everything just… works. Flows together. Natural wood walls of the hollow trees—the myza—mesh with soft furniture and plush rugs.

“Yeah, but you’re welcome to bunk with the rest of the crew if you feel safer there than with the Prince.”

I snort, sure she’s joking.

She doesn’t laugh, and neither does Bex.

“Why are you both staring at me like that? I expect the third degree from the captain, but not you, Chaos Queen,” I tell Bex.

“Prince Kanuz has a reputation,” Niki says slowly. “Are you sure you are all right?”

“What, you think he Stockholm Syndromed me into falling in love with him? Not a chance. As if I would allow that to happen.”

Carmen looks up from where she’s drawing my blood, using a ridiculously advanced device that must be Suevan, because I can’t make heads or tails of it. She knows what the fuck she’s doing though, thank God. “Durand, you can’t will your way out of Stockholm Syndrome. You’ve been alone in what sounds to be a desperate situation for weeks now. We’re doing our due diligence to ensure that you’re safe.”

“Thanks,” I tell her acidly, yanking my arm away. “What, so you can believe that Captain Jacks is happily fucking her alien boy toy, but Durand is so bitchy that she must have had a lobotomy to fall in love?”

“You really are in love,” Bex says, her voice moony and eyes huge. “I want to hear all about it. All the dirty details.”

“Why can’t you understand them yet?” I ask, dodging her question. I don’t feel like being interrogated about my sex life. My excellent, really great, phenomenal alien sex life.

“We can’t figure out why some of us understand them and some don’t. Carmen, Tati and I have been working on it, but so far, it’s speculation. They’re symbiont tech. Cutting edge, even for the Suevans. We think there must be some kind of neural path rearrangement that they facilitate, but it might take longer on some than others. Tell me about Kanuz. He has quite the reputation among the Suevans. Has he forced you?”

“What?” I ask, aghast. “No. He’s been more gentlemanly than any guy I ever dated on Earth.”

“You didn’t exactly hang around with the cream of the crop,” Bex says.

“Your pulse just spiked,” Carmen observes. She winks at me, and I glare back at her.

“What do you mean Kanuz has a reputation?”

“The other Suevans, they just say he gets around.”

“So what, he’s a manwhore?” I shrug one shoulder. “He’s married now. To me. I’m not worried.”

Niki’s eyes narrow like she’s going to say something else. Instead, she shakes her head, digging through a pile of clothes and tossing a pair of slippers into a basket, then adds several colorful swathes of fabric to it.

“Touchy, touchy,” Bex says.

“You would be touchy, too, if the first thing your friends want to do when they see you after you’ve spent fifteen—”

“Sixteen and a half,” Bex supplies unhelpfully.

“Sixteen and a half days in the alien jungle, fighting for your life against giant snakes and having crazy dinosaurs falling in love with you and making your way through an ancient temple full of death traps and tentacle monsters, and then you get to safety, your friends want to bitch about how your husband was a man whore before you were sold to him in marriage by your own fucking government!” I’m yelling now, nearly shaking with the residual adrenaline of everything I’ve been through. I hate that I can’t get control of myself. I hate that I’ve slipped right back into the old, asshole version of myself, and I sit there steaming, staring at them and daring them to say something else.

“Blood work’s clean,” Carmen announces, staring down at the machine with an awkward expression. “You’re dehydrated and your white blood cell count is unusually high, but not so high that it’s triggering any alarms. I recommend rest, water, food, and more rest.” She wrinkles her nose. “And a bath. With soap. No jungle adventures for at least fourteen days.”

“Hey, that’s in time for the warlord trials,” Bex says.

I don’t know what that is, but I’m too distracted by Niki to ask.

She exhales, relief clear on her face. She obviously thought something was wrong with me, and it hurts my feelings. It hurts my feelings that the only me even my best friend knows is one that’s mean and bitchy and trigger happy.

That she thought seeing me smiling and relaxed in Kanuz’s arms was a sure sign something was wrong.

And I can’t even be fucking mad at her about it because it’s my own stupid fault. I’m the one who’s been unremittingly mean. I’m the one who only ever let everyone see the wall I put around myself, even my closest friends and crew.

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.

Niki’s expression tightens, and Bex’s mouth opens wide in astonishment.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you. You don’t deserve that.” I rub a hand across the back of my neck. I blow out a breath, making myself meet their eyes in turn. “I have been a shitty friend. None of you deserve the way I treat you.” I lapse into silence, exhaustion stealing over me.

Carmen blinks owlishly up at me, checking the machine again. “Maybe I start you on an antibiotic course just in case. Some supplements. Maybe a banana bag. They have something here that works even better than what we use at home.”

“Sure,” I say, too tired to fight.

I look up at Niki, and she’s biting her lip, the way she does right before she lunges straight for her candy stash when she’s stressed.

“I care about Kanuz. I love him. What we went through out there, it was… life-changing. It changed me.” I swallow down the lump forming in my throat. “He changed me. He reminded me that I don’t have to be so fucking hard all the time. He reminded me that true strength means being weak and asking for help sometimes, too. So thank you, thank you for looking out for me. I know you mean well, and I love you for it. I’m going to get cleaned up now.”

“Gen,” Niki says, her face softening. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

I yelp as something stings my wrist, searing up my veins, and Carmen winces. “Sorry. That’s the antibiotic and supplement cocktail. If anything nasty’s floating around in your bloodstream, it’ll be gone in a jiff.”

“Cool,” I say, the pain already fading.

“The clothes in the basket should fit you.”

“Oh, am I going to look like I belong in I Dream Of Jeannie like the rest of you?”

“They’re comfy,” Bex says, plucking at her voluminous purple sleeve. “And pretty.”

“They are pretty,” I admit.

Niki’s eyes spark. “I have makeup.”

“I don’t remember the last time I put on makeup.”

“I’ll do yours while we fully debrief. Get cleaned up, I’ll order food in, and we’ll look at the makeup Bex made and catch everyone up on everything.”

“Sounds official.”

“Fuck official,” Captain Jacks says. “Fuck the Federation, and fuck everything but getting that tech safely to Earth.”

“And fuck the Roth,” I add for good measure. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll be back when I don’t stink.”

“And literally fuck the Suevans,” Bex adds.

We all stare at her for a second before Niki breaks the tension by laughing. I shake my head. “Where’s the bathroom?”

Niki points to a door in the back of the room, and I stand up, heading for it.

“Wait,” Bex says plaintively, and from the shit-eating-grin on her face, I’m already worried about what’s going to come out of her mouth. “Tell me more about this tentacle monster.” Her eyes are huge, and she bats her lashes.

Shaking my head, I laugh as I leave them for the siren call of hygiene.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

OceanofPDF.com

KANUZ

The mere sight of the Roth’s gray, swirl-patterned skin makes me see red.

“Come to try your hand with me, Prince?” he asks, malice clear in his gaze. “I’ve always found royalty too soft to do what needs to be done.”

I snarl, smashing my hand against the wall of the cell.

Dergoz’s talons prick my hide as he pulls me away. “You are in no condition to interrogate him.”

“He means to harvest human females from Earth. He does not deserve to share the air we breathe.”

“You are well and truly in a mating frenzy, are you not, Prince?” Alvez asks. “We have sent another convoy to protect the shipment. There is nothing he can do from here to hurt your mate, or any other human.”

“Then he is of no use to us,” I growl, narrowing my eyes at the foul alien in the cage. He’s built similarly to Suevans, big of build, muscle packed on, but that’s where the similarities end. Though quick-healing, the Roth have velvet-like skin closer to the human texture than our tough hides.

“Wait,” the Roth calls out, and something sparks behind him.

“Did you scan him?” I ask, concern building at the small lights appearing at his shoulder.

“Of course we scanned him,” Draz growls. “We followed every protocol and then some.”

“I mean no offense, First Warlord.” I try to keep my voice even, but the words still snap with impatience.

“Wait,” the Roth repeats, and his voice is desperate, the tone unlike anything I’ve ever heard from his species. “I have information.”

“You would sell your Overlord out for your life?” I ask, wary at his sudden change in tone.

“Not for my life.” He shakes his head, his strange eyes glittering with an inner fire. He points at his shoulder.

“It’s a trick,” Alvez snarls.

I am unsure. He seems… sincere. And Alvez is predisposed to believe the worst about the Roth, thanks to his time spent in their fighting pits. Not that the rest of us believe anything good about them, but he has more reason to hate them than anyone.

“This is a tracking beacon,” he says. “My brothers implanted it in me after the first wave conscription. You know of this,” he growls at Alvez. “I recognize you from the fighting pits. You know we were forced to join the Overlord’s cause on pain of death or torture. And yet you are blinded by your madness.”

“Enough.” I shove Alvez back, his eyes burning with anger. “Kanuz is right. Let us listen to what he says.”

“My younger brothers avoided the conscription by being too young to join up. Even the Roth Overlord has limits. Or, he used to. They injected it when I slept, and I left it in.”

“He’s bluffing,” Dergoz declares. “Our tech would have found it.”

“It isn’t regular tech,” the Roth stands, looming in the small cell, pacing back and forth. “It cannot be taken out. They were young and foolish and wanted to know where I was. They keep track of me. And they just activated it, because my ship hasn’t sent them an update in seventeen days.”

“Your young brothers are on their way here,” I repeat slowly. “And you would bargain information in return for sparing their lives.”

He nods once, the muscle in his jaw twitching so hard I can tell giving us just that small amount of information irritates him to no end.

“Check the scans,” Draz says, and Dergoz moves quickly through the doors. “Advise the techs to stand down, wait and watch protocols.”

“This is a bad idea,” Alvez says, shaking his head. “The Roth are expert liars.”

The gray alien slams his hands against the cell wall. “It is not a lie. I lost everyone. Everyone, to the virus. Except my brothers.” His face is tight, and the tips of his hair begin to turn blue, then red… like they’re burning.

I tilt my head. In all my battles against his species, I have never seen that.

“I would die gladly for my brothers. I will tell you what you want to know, and then you can be done with me. Just give me proof that they are safe, and I will tell you everything I know about the Overlord and his plans for Sueva and Earth. I’m dead anyway. Once the Overlord knows I’ve been caught, he would send a team out to finish me off if I ever get off this planet.”

“Small Roth freighter headed inbound,” Dergoz reports, his voice coming through the datapad in Draz’s hand.

“He spoke true,” I say, studying the Roth. “What is your name?”

“They call me Nydo.” He grits his teeth, as though simply telling us that pains him.

It’s a start.

“Tell us everything you can think of, and we will fact-check it with what we already know.” It’s a dangerous game, to deal with spies and double-crossers, but there’s enough on the line that I think it’s worth the gamble. Worst case, he doesn’t give us anything new, or he tries leading us to an easily found out trap. I have confidence in our ability to see through any deceptions.

Best case, we have a Roth traitor in our holding cells and a new insight into their operations.

Draz catches my eye, nodding his head. He’s thinking the same thing.

“We will record our conversation and have our techs fact-checking as you speak. If you lie, your brothers find out exactly how our interplanetary defense tech works. Understood?”

The reddish tinge travels up his hair, over his shoulders.

“What is that?” Draz asks.

The alien slumps against the hard bench on the back wall. “It is a family problem,” he says roughly. “A very old family problem.” He turns to look at us, and his gaze is tired. “What do you want to know?”

Draz rattles off a list of questions, and as pleased as I am that we’re making progress with the Roth prisoner, Nydo, I’m distracted.

I want to tell Gen. I want to see Gen. I wish she were here at my side, helping me make decisions.

Holding my hand while doing so.

“So far, everything is true,” a voice chirps over Draz’s comm tablet.

Nydo watches us with wary eyes, distaste clear on his face. I am shocked he would turn traitor to save his brothers.

I can’t help but think that perhaps there is more to the Roth problem than any of us would care to admit.

We spend the next two hours drilling down information from our newly pliant captive, until the cell wall finally turns opaque, signaling the communication barrier is sealed between us.

Draz fixes me with a knowing look.

“You are distracted, Prince.”

I run a hand through my hair. “I long for my mate.” I purse my lips. “Does it fade? The hunger?”

“It has only been a week or so for us.” He laughs, shaking his head. “But no. I cannot imagine it will. As understandably distracted as you are, you did very well with him.”

I should not need his praise. I outrank him, as a Prince, even though he’s several years older than I and three times as experienced.

“Thank you,” I tell Draz seriously. “I want to do the best I can by Sueva. By all of Sueva.”

“By your glowing female, too, I imagine.” His scarred face twitches, and I can tell he’s holding in a laugh.

“I will not deny it.”

Dergoz, the Brute, makes an irritated noise from behind us. “All you two think about is burying yourselves in their soft cunts. You are both insufferable.”

Draz and I both turn to him, furious.

He bows his head immediately. “Apologies.”

“You would do well to make amends with your wife, Brute,” Draz spits.

“The humans are too soft for our species,” Dergoz retorts, and I have a sneaking suspicion this is not the first time they have had this conversation.

“Kanuz and I have not had any problems,” Draz returns.

Dergoz snaps his teeth, his tail smashing the wall behind. Stiffly, he dips his head at me, and walks out.

“What happened?”

Draz shrugs. “I do not know. Neither he nor Bex will discuss it.”

“Bex? The dark-haired one?”

“Yes.” Draz smiles. “She makes my Ni-Kee laugh. It saddens me that the Brute refuses to give her a chance. Especially when Bex is willing and so many are not.”

“The females are still unwilling?”

“More or less.” He shrugs, looking uncomfortable. “I am disgusted by what their Federation did. It is despicable.”

“Agreed.” We both fall silent.

“The southerners said you sent word to have more females brought here.”

Draz chuckles. “That would be my Ni-Kee’s doing. She negotiated their help in turning on the Roth in return for bringing more mates for them. Of course, the women would have to choose to come here.” His expression darkens.

“The Roth captured you?” I ask, stunned. For the First Warlord to be caught unawares… That is something I truly thought I would never see. He claps me on the shoulder.

“Come, Kanuz, let us walk and talk. I am eager to return to my mate, though hopefully she will not be too tired from training for the Trials.”

“She thinks to compete in the Trials?” Good for her. A human female as a Suevan Warlord. “Perhaps Dergoz would not be so quick to dismiss his wife if Niki succeeds.”

“Oh, there is no if about it. She will succeed. I have no doubt about it.” He shakes his head, his eyes shining with affection for her.

“I am glad you are well pleased with her,” I tell him sincerely.

“As am I for you, my friend. I never thought this day would come.”

We walk through the long hall together, leaving the Roth to his own devices in his cell.

OceanofPDF.com